NETGEAR ME103 manual Wireless Channels, WEP Configuration Options

Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point

WEP Configuration Options

The WEP settings must match on all 802.11 devices that are within the same wireless network as identified by the SSID. In general, if your mobile clients will roam between access points, then all of the 802.11 access points and all of the 802.11 client adapters on the network must have the same WEP settings.

Note: Whatever keys you enter for an AP, you must also enter the same keys for the client adapter in the same order. In other words, WEP key 1 on the AP must match WEP key 1 on the client adapter, WEP key 2 on the AP must match WEP key 2 on the client adapter, etc.

Note: The AP and the client adapters can have different default WEP Keys as long as the keys are in the same order. In other words, the AP can use WEP key 2 as its default key to transmit while a client adapter can use WEP key 3 as its default key to transmit. The two devices will communicate as long as the AP’s WEP key 2 is the same as the client’s WEP key 2 and the AP’s WEP key 3 is the same as the client’s WEP key 3.

Wireless Channels

IEEE 802.11b wireless nodes communicate with each other using radio frequency signals in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band between 2.4 GHz and 2.5 GHz. Neighboring channels are 5 MHz apart. However, due to spread spectrum effect of the signals, a node sending signals using a particular channel will utilize frequency spectrum 12.5 MHz above and below the center channel frequency. As a result, two separate wireless networks using neighboring channels (for example, channel 1 and channel 2) in the same general vicinity will interfere with each other. Applying two channels that allow the maximum channel separation will decrease the amount of channel cross-talk, and provide a noticeable performance increase over networks with minimal channel separation.

Wireless Networking Basics B-7

August 2003